Another Félix Éboué-class offshore patrol boat (POM) has officially entered service with the French Navy, according to an update from the Ministry of the Armed Forces on 18 July 2024.
Designated the Teriieroo to Teriierooiterai, the light warship is the second of six in the new class. According to intelligence from GlobalData, the programme is projected to cost $116m (€106.5m) over the next ten years.
The original equipment manufacturer, a French shipbuilder named Socarenam, designed to class with strengthened capabilities for visits to French ocean territories such as French Polynesia, Reunion Island and New Caledonia – all peppered across the increasingly contentious Indo Pacific theatre suffering instances of Chinese military aggression.
These ships replace the ageing P400 type patrol boats. They have a length of 7.9 metres (m), a width of 12m, a draft of 3.5m and a displacement of approximately 1,300 tonnes, according to a French Government fact sheet. They can travel at a range of 5,500 nautical miles at 12 knots (kt), and with a top speed of 24kt.
Each unit carries several guns, an air surveillance radar and a satellite communications system. They also boast capacity for two high-speed launchers (length 8m), ramp and davit-launched - Navy UAV (SMDM) system operation capability. The Navy purchased 11 units in 2020 from an Airbus subsidiary for €19.7m.
“The [POMs] will thus renewthe Navy’s reosurces to ensure missions of sovreignty and protection of national interests in maritime areas in Indian and Pacific Oceans,” stated the Ministry.
This latest admission into the fleet comes after a lengthy deployment where it set out from Brest naval base on 16 March to be delivered to the Navy in Papeete, French Polynesia on 7 June. After crossing the Atlantic, the POM crossed Cape Horn before reaching the South Pacific island. As well as rallying its portbase, the mission aimed to verify the capabilities of the ship in all environments.
The vessel was confronted with a succession of situations including navigation under asymmetric threat, implementation of artillery, reconnaissance, towing and assistance to damaged ships.
